I don’t know about all of you guys but, to me the most difficult time to remain on my diet is nighttime.

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Sometimes I’ve been working all day long and then I finally get a few moments at night to rest. That’s the moment when I’m like “Ooooh I just would looove to eat this or that!” My mind starts to race and I can just see images of food flashing through my brain.

All these thoughts start coming. Then to make matters worse, somebody on T.V. starts talking about food! (Like I don’t already have enough to battle with my own desires !)
Not that I don’t like hearing about food. Actually I love eating it, smelling it, touching it . The thing is, I need to be careful to only be thinking about food once in a while- definitely not when I’m trying to focus on losing weight.

Here’s an illustration of what ends up happening inside my head:
On the one side I hear myself saying

(the bad me)
– “Oh there’s no problem with eating just a little more of this…Just a little teensie bit more” I say.
Then I catch myself and find that I’m going down the wrong thinking pattern and I say:

(the good me)
– “No Eren, you can’t eat that! If you add up all of these little bits here and there that will end up becoming one BIG chunk of calories and you won’t achieve your weight loss goals. Stop Eren. Stop! You’ve already eaten all the calories for this day.”

So you’d think that by this time I would have convinced myself to NOT eat outside the amount that I should, right?
Well…think again because somehow I manage to come back with another thought:

(the bad me)
– “Oh but you deserve to eat a little more. You’re tired and need to rest.”

It’s truly amazing how we can set ourselves up for failure when we aren’t determined to change a habit.
The whole notion of “deserving to eat” is based upon a false precept that overeating is some kind of reward for all the hard work in other areas of our lives.

The fact is that when this internal battle starts going on, I stop everything I’m doing and focus on destroying all the excuses and so-called reasons for overeating. If I don’t consciously stop and redirect my thoughts, the wrong thinking patterns end up winning and take over my will power.

This reminds me of a Bible verse that talks about the internal battle that happens to all of us. This verse talks about us casting down all wrong thinking. It refers to it as a warfare and to tell you the truth that’s exactly what it feels like- an internal war. If you’ve ever tried to lose weight you know exactly what I’m talking about. This tug of war is a constant battle that seems to never end.
Here’s the verse that I was talking about:

2 Corinthians 10:4-5

For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

In order to be a winner in this battle I really have to stop and regroup my thoughts. And believe me, when I’ve done this it HAS worked. It’s taken me two years but I achieved my weight loss goal of losing 70 pounds.

What is the top priority in your weight loss journey?

All of the actions that you take towards achieving your weight loss goals need to stem from an internal motivational strength.
So many times people focus on all of these details. They think that there is a magic food or pill that will solve all of their issues. The fact remains that losing weight is a huge accomplishment. Maintaining that weight loss is even bigger.

In order to achieve anything the motivation has to be high. Or else when the difficult moments arise you’ll feel like giving up.
I want to challenge you to focus on keeping that energy way up there. Keep it really high.
Every time I maintain my motivation and place it as a TOP priority, I’m able to overcome and achieve my weight loss goals. It’s all about what goes on inside of our hearts.

Here are my top 3 motivational tips to help you in your weight loss journey

1- Remember the reasons why… Make sure you have high levels of motivation by remembering all of the reasons why you are losing weight.
How can you keep those reasons top of mind?

a) Write out a list of these reasons. Keep them somewhere visible where you can always be reminded. If you believe in the Bible, you can also meditate on these encouraging Bible verses. Make it a part of your routine to think about your motivators.

b) Keep a journal and write about these motivators. Write about whatever you personally need help overcoming on each specific day. A journal will also help you work out any negative thoughts that come your way and you can shoo them off them as you go.

2- Protect your emotional life so that this level of inspiration does not go down. By this I mean – don’t listen to “nay sayers”. Avoid situations where there is a lot of negativity that can possibly throw “ice water” on your excitement. Avoid conversations with “know-it-alls” who will negate everything you discover or get excited about.

Be careful about what kinds of things that you allow yourself to watch and listen to. How many times have you watched a program to only find yourself completely unmotivated to keep going? If something is not helping you simply make the decision to not incorporate it into your life anymore.

Watch things that are really helpful and encouraging. Some examples of things to watch or listen to to keep you motivated are weight loss T.V. shows, weight loss podcasts and exercise DVDs. ( By the way Angie Newton from Losing it and Loving it did a very thorough review that you should check out on Jillian Michael’s 30 day shred workout videos.) Watching these kinds of videos will definitely help you keep moving.

3- Catch yourself and redirect when going into a negative and wrong thinking pattern. I call this occurrence the “Wrong Thoughts Road”. Don’t let yourself go down that road.

Many times people don’t even notice that they have gone down this wrong thinking pattern. They don’t realize that there is an internal dialogue going on. The fact is that this is always happening and we need to be constantly vigilant to remain on the right road in our minds.

If our minds are under control then the rest will obey. When I’m internally strong you can put the most delicious cake in front of me and I won’t budge. Really – I wont. BUT- if I’m not strong that day – I’ll hunt the cake down!! LOL

It’s really difficult to ignore our desires when they start getting strong and throwing arguments into our minds. I know this because I’ve been there many times. You really have to nip it in the bud.
When desires for overeating start to spring up, stop and deal with that immediately.

We need to be attentively watching our hearts so that we are not fooled by our old fallen nature.
I totally admire my cousin who lost weight in the most difficult year of her life (her father had just passed away). She achieved great success with her weight loss. You can go see her before and after weight loss pictures here.

Eren Mckay

What about you? What has worked for you in keeping yourself motivated? Do you have any tips that have been really helpful and could help others?

Please share with us in the comment section below:

Blessings always,

Eren Mckay

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Hi Maria- LOL. Hey he shouldn’t have started the routine right?
Yeah I totally get you. Sometimes I’ll be: “Oh if it weren’t for this I would diet.
Or if it weren’t for that…”
But then I decide to stop fooling myself and I’m like- YES! I can do it.
I guess it’s all about riding those motivational waves and losing weight when they are very high.
Or if we find ourselves with low motivation we can figure out a way to make our motivation get high.
Thanks for your comment my friend ;-),
Eren Mckay

Maria@Conversations with Moms

Absolutely love your blog and all it’s images.

I started night snacking recently and now it’s hard to stop. I blame my husband since he started the routine.

Eren,
Thanks for the mention! The 30 Day Shred workout is great and I only have 2 days to go. Phew!

As for the rest of your post, nighttime snacking is my biggest challenge. I have got to give up dessert or I’m going to get myself in trouble.

I do keep a journal for my workouts and weigh in/measurements right now and I’m going to start keeping a food journal again because that helped me in the past only this time I won’t be as specific. I’ll write the foods and amounts I eat but not count everything else.

agreed. great post and very helpful. i’m always dealing with this issue and what i deserve. i eat when i’m not hungry,but can’t seem to stop myself. i think it’s emotional eating. i do find though when i stay on top of my exercising that i’m less likely to eat the wrong stuff and i have to make sure i have something to nibble/munch on. i like to nibble, like grapes.

Hi Natural,
The biggest thing about weight loss is that it takes time to plan out our eating and to also make sure we are strong. Some people don’t realize that internal strength is the the most important thing to concentrate on when wanting to lose weight.
You may be strong on Friday and then something happened in your life that got your motivation down. It’s essential when this happens to separate a time when you stop and redirect your thoughts towards your weight loss goals and remember WHY you are on this road.
That will give you the strength.

Angie- I’m so glad you stopped by. Yeah congratulations on your 30 days of Shred! You’ve got a lot of energy girl =)
All the best,
Eren

Losing weight can be a big challenge for most people. It is easy to start a routine to lose weight as usually people will see some immediate results. But as the routine goes along, some will find that the results don’t come always even when they are still doing the same things to lose weight. It may even get slightly worse for some. This is the time they will start to question themselves if everything they have done so far was worthed it or wasted. Their minds will start to lose faith. It will certainly make sense to know the ‘why’ of it all.

For me, the motivation has always been for good health. I can only take care of others when I am in good health myself.

John Sullivan

As someone who doesn’t turn around when they yell out SLIM I enjoyed the post the writing is excellent and it has all the elements of an article that could easily appear in a national publication.. I’d like to be your agent PR rep and all that. I also LOVE the styling the art work is awesome and this is an excellent example of what every blogger wishes they could do.
WOW
thanks
signed up for your rss and will stumble when I get back to my desktop. That was some nice work Eren

Not that I’m on a diet, although I definitely should lose a little weight, but I do notice that I eat way more than I should whilst watching TV at night. It’s as if I need to have something to keep me company while watching TV.

I have found that the best results for losing weight is when a stick to an exercise regime, something that my sister and I have decided to tackle last week. We’re starting weights as I’ve always found that putting on muscle mass helps your metabolism. Having someone sharing the road to weight loss is also a great idea.

@BK – yes good health is something that is now top of mind for me since I actually have suffered health wise. I had 3 tumors in my uterus and had to take terrible medication before removing them. I’ve taken the tumors out and they weren’t cancerous but the medication has caused me long lasting side effects. Now health is one of my main motivators- I want to live longer to do more for my family and for other people too.

@John - You’ve got such kind words for me. Thank you! I really want people to be motivated and encouraged when they visit my blog. so happy that you feel that I have accomplished this

@Sire – I totally understand the concept of food keeping you company. I love eating and watching T.V. and the thing that has helped me a lot is to munch on carrots or celery. That way I quench that desire and at the same time don’t add on too many calories.
The point of weights is excellent. I have a very slow metabolism and the doctor told me that lifting weights helps accelerate that.
All the best my friends,
Eren

This was a great post! So nice to meet you! I too, seek to lose and maintain a healthy weight so I can glorify God, be motivated to start each new day, have energy to serve my family and others, and so many other great reasons.

Hi Traci,
So nice to have you here. If we can all help encourage each other to keep up the great work I’m sure we will go far. When we are kids and teenagers it’s so much easier to lose weight because our metabolism being faster but as adults we face certain challenges.
It’s all a matter of keeping that motivation high and redirecting our thoughts.
God bless
Eren Mckay

Dear Erin,
Just by reading this blog entry and your reflection made me happy and agree with you!
I write on weight loss motivation (based on my life experience and from meeting people and working with them) in my blog.
Yes, once you made a psychological decision to lose weight, there’s no way back. You shall lose it and keep it off.
I do admire you. Keep those pounds off and live a happy active life.
PS: Let me know if you need any support. Would love to share with you.

Hi there Discovery Woman
Losing weight and keeping it off is all in the mind. It’s all about maintaining motivation very high. When I feel derailed I know it’s essential to talk things out until I’m in the right emotional state.
So many people focus on irrelevant details when their emotions and mindset aren’t in the right place.
If the emotional aspect isn’t “right on” everything else simply won’t work out.
Thanks so much for stopping by.
Blessings,
Eren Mckay

Hi Eren,
What a wonderful thought process you have laid out here. Yes, that internal battle is the one we fight every single day, whether our solution is weight loss, self confidence or quitting smoking. We have to keep dangling our goal to keep our “bad selves” from winning.

I have never had a problem with my weight, but is is a constant struggle with my fiancee and her daughters. I will pass this inspiration and wisdom in her direction.

I especially like the spiritual emphasis. That is the basis of all strength.

Eren Mckay

Hi Keith,
I’m so glad you liked the post. I hope it helps your fiancee and her daughters. I know that for people who love to eat food (like me) the weight loss and maintenance is a huge battle. I believe that we need to take into consideration the mind and the spirit as well as the body in order to achieve our weight loss goals. We need to spend time to keep our mind and spirit on track.
Blessings to you,
Eren

I believe focusing on eating healthier has helped me tremendously. (I’ve had thyroid problems, which slows metabolism) When you want to feel better, look better, have more energy…you have to focus on good health…and by eating healthier the weight tends to naturally come off.

Sadly, most people don’t really think much about health until something comes into their life with health issues. Surprisingly, when you feel you DON’T have a choice (you have eat healthier to fix the issues)…you tend to stick with it!

I tell myself, I don’t have a choice! I have to get up in the morning and exercise…I have to eat healthy so that I don’t pay the price when I’m older.

In reality nobody has a choice…because if you eat a lot of junk food and carry a lot of weight there will be a price to pay later down the road.

lorilynn

it all looks good erin. thanks for touching on this subject. my goal it to lose some weight before the initial last step is in place in the last phrase of reconstruction. viola:))))

Eren Mckay

Hi Rhonda,
Yes I had 3 tumors in my uterus and had to take a terrible medication which slowed my metabolism so much that my blood pressure goes down numerous times each day. The doctors said that it was the medication that caused a hormonal dysfunction. All this makes it extremely harder to lose weight than the average person. But I believe that if we keep our minds in place we’re able to overcome all these obstacles.
The point that you made about nobody having a choice is so very true. It’s just a matter of ackowledging and putting to practice the truith before things get worse. Thanks so much for your comment.

I had a very similar experience losing weight. Things got a lot easier once I addressed the resistance to the changes I need to make – why I am so attracted to food when my body doesn’t need it. Now I feel like I’m on auto-pilot. I’ve finally put the journals and all the self-controlling efforts to rest. It’s a lot less stress.

Melanie (ModernMami)

Great tips and reminders.

Young And Fabulous

This is so true. We sometimes get so attached with the end result that we often get frustrated when we don’t see results rightaway. The key to losing weight is slowly, but consistently. You have excellent tips on staying motivated. Thanks for sharing!

Edden

Such an incredible blessing! I put in ‘weightloss motivation’ into google and your blog popped up. Just perfect for embarking on a huge life catalyst, like deciding to fight obesity. Thank you and may God bless you.

Hi Ruth!
Yes I believe the journals and the reminders have to be there for as long as we need them. Some people are able to already keep the new way of thinking about food fairly quickly and don’t feel the need to journal anymore.
Other people continue on for a much longer time and may even go back to them if they start to go back to old eating habits.
The important thing is that we be able to incorporate this new way of thinking into our hearts.
Thanks for your input

Hi Melanie,
Thanks. some times I come back and read these tips or listen to the audio just to remind myself.

Hi Cherrie,(Young and Fabulous)
Yes sometimes people give up because they don’t see immediate results. The key is to keep the motivation high in their own minds and have faith that the results will flow.

Hi Eden,
So glad you found my blog and that this article has inspired you. I pray you have all the strength, motivation and inspiration in your battle. You can do it!

Dieting is really hard and its hard to resist temptation. I myself am dieting by means of eating healthy foods and avoiding processed and fatty foods, however, there are times when I allow myself to indulge just to remove my cravings. Got to rewards myself once in a while.

kelly

Hey Eren, this is a great site, your information will definitely come in handy. I checked out your cousins before and after pictures she looks awesome. My condolences on her losing her dad, I lost my money was only 57 years old. I don’t know if you’ve ever checked out the sparkspeople.com site but it’s been a blessing to me!

If I may, I want to recommend eating 2 T of coconut oil each day (plain, which some may not be able to handle, in smoothies or other treats, or you can cook with it). Over a year & half ago we switched to a whole/traditional foods diet & I lost 40 pounds in just a few months. I had read the book Eat Fat, Lose Fat by Mary Enig & it was truly an eye-opener.

If you’re interested (I hope I’m allowed to post this link), here is my weight loss story. This summer I’ve lost 2-3 more pounds, but I’ve also fallen off the wagon a bit.

Hi Michaela,
I’m so glad you achieved this.. congratulations! That’s a great tip there. Natural foods are my favorite too- not only do they help us lose weight as they also prevent a huge amount of illnesses.
Sometimes I eat a sweet or something but only occasionally. My main day to day diet is filled with natural foods.
All the best ♥,
Eren

hi eren i read this again and i can honestly say s 20 pounds overweight later that i am finally motivated to seriously do something about it. for one thing i have gained the weight by not being active because of the computer, lol. so now that i am aware of that i am very conscious of how much i eat now, not going for 2nds, or 3rds, and smaller portions. plus this was the biggy, no more eating before bedtime. that has been cut out completely. i can tell that i feel better already but the results are not visible yet. it took me a year to put 20 pounds on it will take me less to lose it gradually. as for the rest, all is well in my world. thanks for your heartfelt and caring wishes going into your posts. i love you girl, LL

Thanks this has been very helpful to me. Human mind is very complex and is filled with tricks. we must learn how to focus, and train our mind to be focused in our goals. it might be weight loss, success at work, a loving family.. train your mind,!

Focus, Focus, Focus. Nothing else needs to be said, But will anyway as it’s Eat less and Exercise more to accomplish this goal.

Great hyperlink to Angie Newtons site. Even if she is probably in Jamaica at the moment, lucky her.

Eren Mckay

@Lori - Yes we all go through periods of life where our mindset just isn’t “there”. I’m constantly checking where my mind is and if I feel like I am a bit weak in the overeating department I stop everything that’s going on and get my motivation to grow way up high. The higher your motivation to lose the weight, the stronger you will be when you are tempted. That is why it’s so important to understand the emotional and psychological aspects of losing weight and not just the mechanics. I’m sure you will be able to lose the weight that you gained this year. You had a lot to deal with but now you are moving forward to better things. love you girl xoxo

@Mincir - Sometimes the “tug of war” (so to speak) is necessary to be able to get to that place where we are determined. Many times people require of themselves (and of others around them) to already “have” this determination. Sometimes we just need to work through the muddy states of confusion to finally achieve the state of clarity and be able to move forward with full force. It’s essential not to feel guilty if we aren’t there yet but to slowly work towards getting there in our own pace.

@China – yes training our mind is important and being nice with our own selves instead of allowing negative self talk when we are not able to perform at that time.

@Robert – Exactly focus is very important. I hope Angie’s having a great time in Jamaica

This was great! Thanks so much for sharing it with me. I love the verses you included. Reminds me that taking care of myself is a whole body and soul issue. Not just losing a few pounds for vanity sake.

Eren Mckay

Yes Tasha – Losing weight starts in the mind. It`s about taking control of our thoughts to consequently have self control in this area of our lives. Actions are a consequence of our thoughts. We can`t take action if we don`t change our thought patterns.
So many people intend to lose and then get stuck because they are trying to put the buggie before the horse ~ so to speak. If we concentrate on our internal dialogues first.. the consequences will begin to appear.. slowly but surely.
Glad this helped you ♥
Blessings,
Eren

Kristine

‘Happened upon your blog just before retiring for the night…interesting how it pleasantly turned out to be religious-based vs. secular!! (It was the very first site that I opened.) God knew what I needed this night. I will read through its entirety, tomorrow daytime. Thank you for your words inspired by Him. The Holy Bible is the best…and these are not trite words.
K

Jennifer

I’ve enjoyed browsing through your site, and hope to be back to do some more reading when I have more time… just wanted to share that I have lost nearly 188# on my own weight loss journey, so for anyone who is facing a journey to lose a LOT of weight, it CAN be done successfully, with God’s help!!

Laura

I have been trying to get myself motivated and decided to search for inspiration. Thank you God. I found your sight! I am going to start with journaling and focusing on what are my goals? Thank you so much and Merry Christmas.

tracy

This is the most inspirational web site thank you so much. I know by choosing this was not a coincidence. I prayed to God that I am tired of gaining and losing weight I know this time I will get it right and keep it off. I love exercising now. I have lost over ten lbs I have about 20 more to go. Thank God for leading me here.

Eren Mckay

@Kristine ~ I hear ya. I really don’t know how to look at anything in my life without putting God in it. He is my rock and I know for a fact that anything that I accomplish it’s because He gives me the tools and the capacity to do so. So glad to meet you.

@Jennifer ~ Amen! Congratulations on such a wonderful achievement! It’s a battle but all of us can win it for sure if we keep our minds in the right place.

@Laura ~ Awesome. Journaling is a sure way to keep our minds in the right place and notice when we’re getting off track. Having a clear set of goals is always essential to actually reaching them. As Zig Ziglar says:
‘If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.’
Keep moving forward!

@Tracy ~ Congrats on the 10 lbs. girl! I’m so happy that this article inspired you. Remember to always keep that motivation factor very high so that you can overcome temptation and keep going. If you find yourself discouraged at a certain moment, stop and get your soul aligned to the truth that you want to live by so that you can reach your goal. Envision yourself with beautiful clothes and feeling great without that extra weight.
Don’t frget to sign up to my newsletter because I’ll son be relasing my free ebook to subscibers called Embracing Your Goals. There will be lessons and audio to assist you in getting there!http://www.embracinghome.com/newsletter/

xoxo,
Eren

tracy

Thanks so much for your reply and encouragement. I have even lost more weight. I am loving exercise and I am envisioning my self healthy and happy. I am on my way to healthiness. I will reach my goal weight and wear those pretty clothes that I like. Many blessings to you and everyone.

Francesca Worovi

Thanks for sharing and I do aggree with all of you, for myself Iam still struggling; going on and off looking for means and ways to loose my fats on my waist thighs and belly. I also aggree with Laura to keep me on track and having my mind in the right place I should keep journals of may daily appetite. And so I beleive with God all things will be possible. conngratulations to those who already made remarks on loosing lbs of weight. stay foot

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